Halloween is almost upon us, and the helpful bloodsuckers at Netflix USA have compiled a list of vampire movies and TV shows that are streaming through them over the ghoultide, including a certain Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. (It's also showing on Netflix in many other countries, including the UK and, I think, Canada.)

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/vampire-movies-tv-series-on-netflix-halloween-2019/

As usual, when mentioning a showing of the movie, I feel compelled to point out i) I had nothing to do with it, ii) it is in pretty much no way faithful to my books, iii) but I do think it's an odd, quirky little film that works quite well on its own terms. If you can divorce it from its source material, and take it for what it is as opposed to what those familiar with the books wished it could have been, then you may well enjoy it, and it might be worth scheduling into your Halloween viewing time. If, on the other hand, you're going to spend the 100 minutes grumbling things like -- "Where's Sam?" "Why did they replace Darren's love interest, Debbie, with a monkey girl?" "Why have they revealed key facts from later books?" "Why is Mr Tiny driving around in a car?!?" -- then maybe this one isn't for you... :-) :-) :-)

One quick comment on the Netflix comment about the film getting a poor reception from critics. While the movie certainly didn't do much business at the box office (hence no sequel), the reviews were actually nowhere near as damning as the popular view seems to hold. I read every review of the film that I could find when it came out 10 years ago at the cinema. I clocked about 120 reviews in total, and they divided into pretty equal thirds. One third of reviewers DID hate the movie, although primarily on the basis that they saw it as a Twilight cash-in, and thus dismissed it out of hand. (This despite the fact that the movie had been in the works long before Twilight became a thing.) One third gave it the equivalent of 5 or 6 out of 10 -- they liked certain elements, disliked other elements, but felt it was an OK and interesting flick, worth a look as long as you weren't expecting TOO much from it. And one third of the critics gave it the equivalent of 7 out of 10 or more -- they genuinely liked it.

Anyway, if you want to make up your own mind, and you have a Netflix subscription, then this is your chance. Just, as I said, try not to think about the books TOO much, OK?!?